June 17 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca ( AZN ) said its

blockbuster cancer drug Imfinzi combined with chemotherapy has

been approved by the U.S. as treatment for adult patients with

primary, advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that is

mismatch repair deficient (dMMR).

The approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration came

after a late stage trial showed that Imfinzi along with

chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel, then followed by

Imfinzi by itself, reduced the risk of disease progression or

death by 58% in specific endometrial cancer patients, compared

to chemotherapy alone, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said on

Monday.

"Immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy is emerging

as a new standard of care in this setting, and the approval of

Imfinzi offers an important new option for patients with

mismatch repair deficient disease," Dave Fredrickson, executive

vice-president of the company's oncology business unit, said in

a statement.

Endometrial cancer ranks as the fourth most prevalent cancer

among women in the U.S. In 2022, it affected more than 66,000

patients and was responsible for nearly 12,000 fatalities.